insulation (modern southern bungalow week 17)
insulation (modern southern bungalow week 17)

The thing about remodel projects is that sometimes things move really fast.  Other times, absolutely nothing happens. I can safely say that you, dear reader, would not have seen much progress had I given you a report last week. All the little details that only my husband and I would notice needed updating were updated. This light moved over two framed segments north, that outlet a little to the left, blocking placed for towels in the bathroom… Very exciting stuff to read about. On the other hand, this past week ended with the dining room walls pushed out, every window in the house installed, the electrical (mostly) in place, siding up, and, for the first time in its nearly 100 years, the house is insulated.

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modern southern bungalowadrienne robideauxmodern southern bungalow, remodelComment
the epic guide to decorating with your teen daughter
the epic guide to decorating with your teen daughter

One of the most terrifying parts of the mother-daughter relationship is that day when you are no longer friends. Those of you with younger daughters are clicking the close tab button right now but you might consider staying with me here for a minute if you can stomach it.

No one is ready for that day, I promise. Yesterday, she told you all the news about Sarah and how horrible the math test was and wanted you to take her shopping. Today, you are lucky to get a simple yes or no. The good news is that mother-daughter frenemy status is usually temporary. Sometimes it goes as quickly as it came. One thing is for sure: all girl moms can count on the inevitable day when we wonder just who came up with the idea for boarding school and whether robbing a bank to pay for it is a risk we are willing to take for the sake of sanity.

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design, interiors, living with kidsadrienne robideauxkid friendly, teen rooms Comments
newsflash: not all girls want a pink bedroom
newsflash: not all girls want a pink bedroom

Last week while dropping my kids off at school, I discovered that there were new lines taped on the ground where kids stand in line to wait for the restrooms. Earth shattering news to start a post with, right? Stick with me. One line was pink and the other line was blue. Now, I may not have noticed or even taken issue with the pink and blue lines had it not been for the nearby sign on the wall, written in childish hand, that said “Stop Stereotypes”. 

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design, interiors, kids, living with kidsadrienne robideauxkid rooms, girlsComment
still framing (modern southern bungalow week 15)
still framing (modern southern bungalow week 15)

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that we were waiting on approval from Historic so that framing of the dining room could be completed. We finally got that approval last week and the permits were issued yesterday. The walls are now up, with windows framed in and ready to be installed. And you thought bloggers planned what they were going to write weeks in advance. You are getting real time information right here.

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living with kids, modern southern bungalowadrienne robideauxmodern southern bungalow, remodel, family livingComment
the no fail route to mother of the year
the no fail route to mother of the year

My daughter asked me on Tuesday if I could come to lunch at school this week. When I told her I didn’t have time, I got, “You never come to school!” Apparently, “never” doesn’t include helping her class in the library every Monday, editing stories in her classroom last week, or leading her girl scout troop for the third year in a row. I’m at the twins’ school so much, one of my son’s friends asked if I worked there.

I’m convinced that even if I were to give the kids ice cream whenever they wanted it and unlimited iPad time every day and candy in their lunch boxes (while I sat with them in the school cafeteria watching them eat), it would never be enough. So I’m redefining what it means to be mother of the year. This year, I’m going to win.

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stick to your progam (modern southern bungalow week 14)
stick to your progam (modern southern bungalow week 14)

Sometimes, you have to remember where you came from in order to move forward. This old adage applies to designing a house just as much as it applies to life. There are often too many decisions coming at us far too quickly. We feel the need to keep going and going and deciding all the things and we end up in the weeds and then… Yeah. We need to stop. We need to breathe. We need to get our butts into the yoga studio and chill the heck out.

Just me?

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modern southern bungalowadrienne robideauxmodern southern bungalow, remodel, design, family livingComment
expired: family living trends whose time is up

Quick quiz. List as many things as you can think of with an expiration date. Was any one of those things shiplap? Because unless you live in a farm house in central Texas built at least a hundred years ago, shiplap should have been the first thing to pop into your mind.

Let me back up a minute. The internet clearly has enough haters, and I won’t add to that by ripping on Joanna Gaines. I mean, she is EVERYWHERE, so that must mean people love what she is doing. And as much as I hate to admit it, I do like some of the rooms I see coming out of Magnolia. I really am going to do my part to remain positive. That said, I think we can all agree that some decorating trends need to have an expiration date.

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design, interiors, living with kidsadrienne robideauxfamily living, design Comments
ask for help (modern southern bungalow week 13)
ask for help (modern southern bungalow week 13)

We have a kitchen! Ok, not really. But the wall has been opened up and the windows are in and the extra door is gone, so it feels 100% better than it was even without appliances. Or power.

The framing of the house is nearly done. We are still waiting for approval from the historic commission on a change to the dining room, but in the meantime electrical is going in as we speak and plumbing should begin today or tomorrow. The electrical and plumbing plans required a lot of decisions that I wasn’t yet ready to make (i.e., picking sconces and mirrors for bathrooms that weren’t yet designed and locating lights in rooms with no furniture plan).

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modern southern bungalowadrienne robideauxmodern southern bungalow, remodel, designComment